Suo Lun looked at Tu Lingduo with some disbelief. Previously, she had cherished her chastity so dearly. Now she was simply throwing caution to the wind.
It seemed her engagement to Tu Liyang had filled her with a desire for self-destruction.
Seeing Suo Lun unmoved, Tu Lingduo said, “What are you waiting for? Dawn shall break soon.”
Suo Lun shrugged and said, “For some reason today, I am somewhat unable to perform. Perhaps another time?”
Tu Lingduo gazed at Suo Lun for a long while, then smiled sorrowfully and said, “Then why do you not go inside and sleep with my cousin Gui Qinshao? Or perhaps the two of us could serve you together, a threesome?”
Suo Lun pretended to drool with desire, then shook his head and said, “Far too tempting, but unfortunately I truly am unable to perform today.”
At this moment, Gui Qinshao’s heart was filled with thick tenderness and affection for him, along with a faint yet lingering desire and attachment. Once something truly happened between them, it would mean prematurely exhausting this anticipation. Then this feeling would be difficult to continue fermenting.
After confirming that Suo Lun was truly unmoved, Tu Lingduo casually draped her clothing back on. Then she took a bottle of ale and drank with Suo Lun.
“Where is Gui Qinshao?” Tu Lingduo asked.
“Asleep.” Suo Lun said.
“How many naval forces do you have?” Tu Lingduo asked.
“Two or three thousand temporary naval troops, plus several dozen warships.” Suo Lun said.
Originally, there had also been county naval forces loyal to the king. But during the previous incident on Chaos Rock Island, in order to protect the Chaos Rock Island salt fields, they had been nearly completely annihilated.
Now, Suo Lun could hardly find a single naval force.
“Our interests are aligned now. Only if you win can I turn my fortunes around.” Tu Lingduo said, “But if you wish to win, it is truly more difficult than ascending to heaven. It seems I am fated never to turn my fortunes around.”
Suo Lun said nothing. Last time, fifteen thousand against thirty thousand, tactics could still make up the difference.
But this time, twenty thousand against one hundred and ten thousand. And in naval strength, two or three thousand against sixty thousand.
This disparity in strength was already beyond what any military strategy or tactics could remedy.
Tu Lingduo said, “Suo Lun, heed my advice. A true man must sever his own wrist. Abandon Chaos Rock Island. Concentrate all your forces at Tianshui main city. Twenty thousand against one hundred and ten thousand, though still exceedingly disparate, would at least no longer be a difference between heaven and earth. You would still have the strength to fight.”
Suo Lun still said nothing.
From a military standpoint, what Tu Lingduo said was most correct. The defences of Chaos Rock Island were too weak. They certainly could not hold.
And on the water, the disparity between the two sides was so great that even the gods could not save them. There was simply no strength to fight.
Retreating all forces to defend Tianshui main city, holding firm within the walls and exhausting the enemy as much as possible, was the only correct tactic. Although, it would almost certainly still end in defeat, it could at least hold out for about half a month.
Of course, the consequence would be that the Chaos Rock Island salt fields would be seized, severing the Suo Clan’s sole current source of income. And the entire territory of Tianshui City, apart from the main city itself, would be completely destroyed, perhaps even permanently so.
The situation before Suo Lun’s eyes was almost completely without solution.
…
Gui Qinshao fell into the sweetest of dreams.
The so-called sweetest dream was one completely without dreams, entering the most perfect sleep.
Midway through, she vaguely sensed that another soft body had entered the bedding. Instinctively, she wrapped herself around it.
When she slept, she had a typical princess complex. She had to be holding something to fall asleep. At home, she would either hug a pillow or some other object.
Because of everything that had happened the previous night, she instinctively felt in her sleep that this person was Suo Lun.
Thus, she held tighter and tighter, finally wrapping around that body like an octopus.
Time flew by…
As the sky gradually brightened, Gui Qinshao nestled close, emitting soft murmurs from her mouth, her delicate body gently rubbing against the other.
Gradually waking, she faintly sensed that the two hands behind her were growing increasingly improper.
Both hands were very long and slender, and their movements grew bolder and bolder.
“You scoundrel…” Gui Qinshao murmured, slightly pushing her backside backwards, wishing to press closer against the body behind her.
However… she felt something seemed amiss.
Then, she sensed that what her back touched was also a mass of softness. Her delicate body suddenly shrank back, a jolt running through her as she came fully awake. She turned her head sharply.
And she saw Tu Lingduo’s face, smiling yet not smiling.
Instantly, Gui Qinshao shrank back as though she had seen a ghost, as though stung by a caterpillar.
“Argh…” Then she let out a scream.
“Tu Lingduo, you scoundrel…” Gui Qinshao said with boundless fury.
Tu Lingduo released her hands and said, “You are disappointed, are you not?”
And at this moment, Tu Lingchen, several hundred metres outside, heard the scream and rushed in at the first instant.
Then, seeing the scattered clothing upon the ground outside, his heart was startled.
He swiftly rushed into the inner room, then gazed at the scene before him in complete disbelief.
Within the bedding, two bodies of living jade and fragrant flesh pressed together, two incomparably beautiful faces gazing at each other.
Crucially, Gui Qinshao’s neck, exposed above the bedding, was still covered in wounds, marks from the whip.
“These two women, they actually played so wildly, so fiercely?” Tu Lingchen felt his eyes might go blind.
The scene before his eyes was truly beautiful to the extreme, yet also bizarre to the extreme.
“Get out!”
“Get out!”
Tu Lingduo and Gui Qinshao spoke almost in unison.
Then, Tu Lingchen swiftly flashed out. Next, he truly did not know how he should report back to his father.
Did his younger sister Tu Lingduo first beat Gui Qinshao, then have her way with her?
Because Tu Lingduo was to marry Tu Liyang, was she so heartbroken that even her orientation had changed?
…
Within the princess’s manor.
Suo Lun, Zhi Yan, and Duke Zhi Ting.
“Consolidate all forces to Tianshui main city for a decisive battle.” Duke Zhi Ting said, “In this manner, within two months, we can still assemble several tens of thousands of troops to station at Tianshui City. At that time, fifty or sixty thousand troops against one hundred and ten thousand, we can fight.”
Although all the nobles and lords of the Raging Wave Kingdom had abandoned the king and chosen to stand with Zhi Li.
Still, it was impossible that there were truly no forces loyal to the king at all. Making every effort to assemble several tens of thousands of troops was still achievable.
Suo Lun said, “In that case, the Chaos Rock Island salt fields would be lost. The entire territory of Tianshui City would be completely destroyed.”
Zhi Ting said, “There is no other way. Only by severing one’s wrist can one survive. Speaking of naval strength, we are less than a few tenths of the enemy’s. A naval battle would mean certain death. Luanyang City and Yingzhou Island possess the most powerful naval forces in the entire Raging Wave Kingdom, completely without rival.”
Suo Lun thought for a while and said, “There is. In this world, there is a maritime force even more powerful than Luanyang City and Yingzhou Island.”
Duke Zhi Ting’s expression changed and he said, “You… are speaking of the Rock Island pirates?”
Suo Lun said, “Yes. The Rock People pirates are the strongest naval force. They are born sea wolves!”
Duke Zhi Ting hissed, “You absolutely must not entertain this idea. Fighting against the naval forces of Luanyang City and Yingzhou Island, even if you die, you would still have an intact corpse. But if you encounter the Rock People pirates, perhaps even your corpse would be chopped into pieces and dried into cured meat.”
Duke Zhi Ting’s words were no exaggeration. The Rock People were indeed the most cruel of human races, almost on par with the barbarians.
They truly had the tradition of making captives into cured meat. Of course, they might not eat it immediately, but would store it first. Should they encounter famine, they would take it out to eat.
Thus, the war between Suo Lun and Zhi Li was still a civilised war. At least there would be intact corpses, and one could even surrender.
Zhi Ting said, “Moreover, on what basis would you make the Rock People pirates fight for you? With gold coins? If they knew you had gold coins and salt, they would likely come to plunder and slaughter you clean at the first opportunity. No one under heaven can command the Rock Pirates to fight. They are born for plundering.”
What Zhi Ting said was very reasonable. The Salt Pirates would not help anyone, any force. Their sole mission was raiding.
Attempting to bring in the Rock People pirates as reinforcements was like a cat and dog fighting. The cat could not defeat the dog, so it tried to find a vicious wolf to help.
Of course, the reason Suo Lun had conceived this notion was because the king had once said a certain phrase. Among the Salt People, there might still be an illegitimate son of Count Suo Long. At that time, the Rock woman who had spent a few nights with Count Suo Long possessed very high martial arts, and was beautiful in appearance. Her status seemed to be quite high.
But without question, even if there were an illegitimate son of Suo Long among the Rock Pirates, he could not possibly fight for Suo Lun because of some so-called blood relation. The possibility was almost zero.
And right at this moment, a white goshawk flew from the east. After a cry, it landed upon Princess Zhi Yan’s palm.
Goshawk message delivery was almost the fastest means in this world. Last time, when Gao Ningshi went to Tianshui main city, he had taken a goshawk secret message team with him, stationed at Tianshui City and Chaos Rock Island.
Next, the goshawk message routes between Tianshui main city, Tianlang Pass, Chaos Rock Island, and the royal city would soon be opened up.
After Princess Zhi Yan unfastened the secret message, she saw upon it a prominent mark for Suo Lun to receive. She immediately handed the secret message to him.
After Suo Lun received the secret message, he opened it at once. If it were not an exceedingly urgent matter, goshawk secret messages would certainly not be employed.
The letter was written in a mass of code, but Suo Lun could now read it completely clearly.
“If matters in the royal city are concluded, please return swiftly. There is an urgent matter. Rest assured, we are unharmed!”
This secret message was written by Suo Ningbing, but she had not written what the matter was.
Suo Lun handed the secret message to Princess Zhi Yan.
After one glance, Princess Zhi Yan directly said, “I shall escort you back to Tianshui City!”
Suo Lun thought for a moment. The Dark Society’s assassination attempt upon him had already failed. Logically, they would not attempt a second assassination.
But it was best not to take such an enormous risk. And with Princess Zhi Yan’s martial arts being so exceedingly high, she should be sufficient to withstand any danger.
Thus, Suo Lun nodded.
After more than half an hour, Princess Zhi Yan disguised herself in men’s clothing and rode a lion-tiger beast with Suo Lun, returning to Tianshui City.
…
A full two days and two nights later, Suo Lun hurried back to the city lord’s manor of Tianshui main city.
And Princess Zhi Yan considerately did not enter, but stayed elsewhere within the city. For sometimes Yan Naier would be at the city lord’s manor, and she feared her appearance might upset the other woman.
The moment she saw Suo Lun, Suo Ningbing immediately rushed forward, suppressing her delight and saying, “Suo Lun, we have another elder brother. He looks extremely, extremely similar to you.”
Suo Lun’s heart trembled and he said, “A pirate from Salt Island?”
Suo Ningbing was startled and said, “How did you know?”
Suo Lun said, “His Majesty the King once told me certain past matters concerning Mother.”
Next, Suo Ningbing recounted in detail her encounter with the Rock Demon.
Suo Lun’s heart stirred. This half-brother, the Rock Demon, was actually a pirate chieftain, commanding over a hundred pirate warships.
Moreover, he had violated the traditions of the Rock Pirates, sparing the Chaos Rock salt fields and sparing Suo Ningbing.
Then, could he be drawn in as reinforcements?
Suo Ningbing said, “He also said that as the future King of the Rock Pirates, he could not possibly come to see you. You must go to see him of your own accord.”
And right at this moment, Ye Jingyu swiftly entered from outside, appearing travel-worn and weary. Seeing Suo Lun, she could not help but be startled, then revealed her delight and said, “Master, the Magic Mirror Project within Secret Island has made a tremendous breakthrough. The first magic mirror has been created. Its effects are completely… unimaginable.”